Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

A Modest Guitar God

Andy Wood isn't too big on contests. So when someone suggested the 22-year-old enter Guitar Center's prestigious Guitarmageddon, he at first dismissed it. "I was in Guitar Center, just noodling around. The salesman walks up to me and says, 'You ought to enter this thing.' I said, 'I don't do competitions.' I'm really anti-competition because music is an opinion. How can you say jazz is better than rock?"

But after some consideration, Wood—who has been playing guitar since his grandfather taught him some bluegrass and country when he was 5 years old—decided to enter. He won the store competition and then the regionals in Orlando. And on May 5, he walked away with the grand prize, beating out six other regional finalists.

A modest, affable guy, Wood was just stunned to have been around so many great guitar players throughout the competition—rock, blues, jazz. "They were phenomenal. I had no idea I was even going to get past Orlando."

"I really appreciate everybody for what they do. There were so many different styles, it was a pleasure to be around players of that caliber," Wood says. "

Each participant was given a CD of 20 back-up tracks. They pick one and showcased their chops, both rhythm and lead. "I picked something I could do quite a few different styles on," Wood says. That was the difference. One of the judges, John Petrucci of Dream Theatre, told Wood, "You played everything. That's what made us choose you."

The grand prize was a $7,500 Guitar Center shopping spree, which Wood plans to use to buy his grandfather a Martin D-45 acoustic guitar. "I always wanted to get my grandfather one of those. I'm going to hook him up," he says.

The regional prize was itself quite a haul—a custom built Ernie Ball guitar, an amp, and lots of other goodies.

Wood works full-time as a musician, playing at a theater in Pigeon Forge and with a couple of different groups around town, including Tall Paul. His dream is to become a sessions musician in Nashville or L.A. The contest has spurred the careers of previous winners.

"Right now, a real sweet gig would be to get on the road, because I'm young and I don't have a wife or a girlfriend," he says. "Put me out on the road, maybe with a pop diva or a real good looking lady. Put me out with Britney Spears."

Cool and Chilled Out

The Knoxville at Night benefit last Thursday evening—in which six clubs, two coffee shops and more than 20 bands participated—was a phenomenal success, raising at least $10,000 for Jonathan Rule.

The money will help his family pay for Rule's medical bills, which are at least $12,000, says Evan Barbee, one of the benefit's organizers. Rule was injured in a severe beating in March. About 2,000 people paid the $5 entrance fee, which got them into all eight establishments. Other money has yet to be counted—

the Preservation Pub is donating a tenth of its bar tab from the evening and New City Café asked for donations in lieu of a cover charge, Barbee says.

"The show went really smoothly. It ran itself, really," Barbee says. "The cops who were there said it was the most cool, chilled out crowd they'd ever had. I don't think it could have gone better."

Barbee and other organizers hope to make the music festival an annual event, with the proceeds going to a charity.

"It was such a poignant thing, the whole mood of the night was perfect. I don't think we could try to recreate that next year," she says. "We would love to just do a big festival next year."

Go.

Thursday: Donald Brown is a local treasure. Go treasure him at 4620.

Friday: Does loud guitar rock from Japan scare you? (It should.) Find out at the Pilot Light with Mono.

Saturday: Welcome Jennifer Niceley back to Knoxville and tell Sara Griscom you're glad she's been here all along at the Pilot Light.

Sunday: The cirkus is in town, the cirkus is in town!

Monday: Okay, forget what I said last week: now go see the Matrix Reloaded.

Tuesday: Make a gourmet meal with some of your friends. Then watch the final Buffy episode. Sniff.

Wednesday: Argue about the Flaming Lips with Downtown Brown and the Rev. over beer.

—Madame "'til I can't tell this blindness from the night" Georgie with Joe Tarr